Archive for the 'Jacquizz Rogers' Tag Under 'UCLA' Category

Oregon State's Jacquizz Rodgers vs. UCLA's linebackers: How bizarre was USC's inability to tackle Jacquizz Rodgers? Part of the mystery is cleared up when you look at some numbers: 308, 317 and 185. Those are the respective weights of Oregon State's right tackle, Tavita Thompson (who is 6-foot-6), left tackle, Andy Levitre (6-foot-3) and Rodgers (5-foot-7). He has an ability to hide behind the moving boulders, then to dart through the hole in the defense. UCLA linebackers will be keenly focusing on the little guy this week, but that doesn't mean they'll find him.

The Bruins have the game's most electric return man in Terrence Austin, but James Rodgers -- brother of Jacquizz -- and Patrick Henderson have been perfectly capable returning kicks. Sammie Stroughter is a definite threat on punt returns, though he hasn't taken one back yet this year. Beavers kicker Justin Kahut is having a mediocre season, having made 62 percent of his kicks.

So the Rodgers family can't guard me in basketball. But they are tearing up the conference in football, one game and two brothers at a time. James and Jacquizz (how did that happen?) have combined for more than 1,800 total yards of offense and 16 touchdowns.

2. Kevin Craft is a nice person and all, but…

If only UCLA, like Washington State earlier this season, held a tryout open to the public at quarterback.

UCLA does not have to beat USC in its regular season finale to make a bowl game this year. That is, if it is able to do something USC could not: beat Oregon State.

When asked which game his team had to win, this Saturday against Oregon State or USC in December, Coach Rick Neuheisel did not hesitate to answer.

“Based on what you see on television you have to have a great performance this week,” Neuheisel said in a press conference Monday.

Either way, the Bruins need victories in three of their final four games, which they think is possible since two of those games are against winless Washington and 2-6 Arizona State. But talk of a bowl game might be futile if they lose Saturday.

“We have to think about winning one game,” linebacker Reggie Carter said. “We'd love to get to a bowl game but we can't get there if we don't start off with a victory Saturday.

Adding to the intrigue for Saturday's showdown in Lubbock are Leach's comments made after the Red Raiders' 59-43 loss at Texas last season.

After Texas Tech had a pair of third quarter touchdowns disallowed, Leach pointed the finger at game official Randy Christal, an Austin resident.

“I think it's disturbing that Austin residents are involved in this,” Leach said after the game. “People work to hard, too long, there's too much money involved in these games to allow that. Am I condemning the crew? Hell yeah, I'm condemning the crew.

“It may be incompetence, bias, I don't know,” Leach continued. “Maybe it's something as simple as guys sitting over the water cooler at their office in Austin talking about the great game they're going to see—and then perhaps a preconceived notion develops as to how it's going to come out.”

The Big 12 office fined Leach a conference record $10,000 for the comments.